Real Love
by KristosLilly
Summary: "Let's meet." The two words that forever change Stephanie's life... Stephanie/Kyle. AU.
**Real Love**

 **I really loved the Kyle character on Grey's Anatomy. I really loved him** ** _with_** **my girl Stephanie. In the super short time they were together, I fell hard for them and wished somehow they could have been endgame, against all of the odds. But since that obviously didn't happen, at least we have fan fiction right? Anyway, this story is AU, a different take on how these two met. I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

 ** _Let's meet._**

Just two simple words but they sent her reeling. She actually about toppled off her chair.

 _Let's meet._

He wanted to meet her. Like in person? The thought made her stomach tie up in knots.

 _Let's meet._

The words stared at her from the bright screen, mocking her.

A little icon suddenly popped up. It read "MusicK1 is typing..."

Oh no.

 **MusicK1:** Did I scare you off?

 _Yes! No! Maybe,_ Stephanie thought. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard and then moved to lock around the edge of the desk, squeezing it so tightly that her knuckles appeared almost translucent.

He wanted to meet. MusicK1 actually wanted to meet her. He meant face to face, right? The thought panicked her. They had been talking for well over three months now but somehow she hadn't expected this. They had met in a Seattle-based chatroom, both of course, swearing that they had stumbled into it by accident.

Stephanie, adopting the moniker DrSED, had been able to tell MusicK1 things she had never told anyone; things that not even her best friend, Jo, knew. Things typed in confidence, told without the fear of judgement or embarrassment. If she actually met MusicK1, that whole intimate dynamic would forever change. If they didn't hit it off, things would be completely ruined. And if they did hit it off, well that was possibly even more troublesome. As if she had time for romance. Not that he had pressed her for that, but she doubted that he wanted to stay friendly if he was asking to see her in person.

 _MusicK1 is typing…_

Her eyes remained riveted on the screen though she longed to look away. She realized that she hadn't replied yet. She was frozen in a fierce state of inertia. It was all-consuming.

 **MusicK1:** Think about it. But no pressure.

Sure, no pressure. Easy for him to say.

Before Stephanie could change her mind, she hit the Power button and slammed the laptop closed, cascading the whole room into darkness. She shoved away from the desk. The less she thought about this, the better.

XoXoXo

Except that it was all she had thought about all night. And all day at work too, especially because it was a particularly slow day at the hospital.

She had all too much time to think about MusicK1 and his - what was it? - _decree_ that they should meet. Why did he have to go and complicate things this way? Everything had been going so well. They would talk for hours, trading jokes and commentary, and now he'd changed the game without her permission. Why did he want to mess with their perfect dynamic?

Dr. Amelia Shepherd walked by Stephanie, drawing her from her potent thoughts as she leaned against the counter of the nurse's hub. Amelia's nose wrinkled. "My patient in 301-A just puked everywhere," she said.

"I'll clean it up," Stephanie immediately offered.

Amelia's eyes went wide in surprise. "Edwards, you are volunteering to scrub up vomit?"

Stephanie squared her shoulders. "Well, someone has to do it," she said lamely.

"Yes, a CNA or a janitor, but you… How many times have you balked at bedpan duty like it was beneath you?"

"Well it's a slow day. Might as well earn my paycheck," Stephanie said. She was aware she sounded incredibly _off_ today; not quite herself. Look at what MusicK1 was doing to her! But she would do anything to pass the time - to not think about those two words.

 _Let's meet._

Amelia shrugged. "Alright, Edwards, far be it for me to try to change your mind once it's made up. Go grab a scrub brush and some gloves and have a field day peeling the chunks of puke off of the ceiling." She shook her head, clearly thinking Stephanie had to be insane. Maybe Stephanie was insane. After all, she shouldn't be this discombobulated over a simple line.

 _Let's meet._

Amelia walked away as Stephane sighed deeply. She slipped on a pair of Latex gloves and went to work.

XoXoXo

Stephanie felt sick herself by the time she was done twenty minutes later. Amelia had not been lying. There really was puke everywhere. Mr. Robertson must have had had a big meal the night before or something. She'd never seen so much vomit in her whole life.

She stripped off her gloves as quickly as she could and hurried to the resident's lounge to wash her hands. Jo spotted her as she careened into the coed bathroom.

"God, Steph, what happened to you?" Jo asked. She pointed to the chunks of greenish vomit clinging to Stephanie's pant legs. She hadn't even noticed that they were there until now. Gross.

Stephanie rolled her eyes. "Mr. Robertson in 301-A happened."

"You really stink."

"Well damn, thank you so much for saying so."

"I could lend you some scrubs if you want to change."

"Thanks, Jo, but I've got a clean pair in my locker." She stuck her hands under the faucet's spray. "Besides, I don't think we wear the same size anymore."

"Are you calling me fat, Edwards?" Jo asked, palming her abdomen which was seemingly growing ever larger by the second. Jo was carrying high and at six months along, pregnant with twins, it was impossible to deny how big she was getting.

"Well remember what Arizona said - you're only eating for three, not four or five," Stephanie said with a teasing smirk, although she didn't feel very amusing or amused right now.

"Ha ha."

"I'm kidding."

"I know." Jo leaned against the sink, meeting Stephanie's eyes in the mirror that ran the length of the bathroom wall. "But seriously, is something bothering you?"

"Should something be bothering me?" Stephanie asked, rinsing off her palms.

"I don't know. You tell me. You've seemed … pensive… all day. Something is definitely on your mind."

Stephanie shrugged as she turned off the faucet and reached for a stack of paper towels. "I guess … Yeah, okay, there's something bugging me a bit."

"Don't keep me in suspense."

Stephanie turned away from Jo, beginning to pace furiously. "It's MusicK1."

"Oh, your online boyfriend!"

"He's _not_ my boyfriend," Stephanie said. "You can't be in a relationship with someone over a computer screen."

"Sure you can."

Stephanie let out a loud groan. "Jo…"

"Well, what happened with MusicK1?"

"He wants-"

"Cyber sex," Jo guessed.

"Jo! No!" Stephanie kept pacing. "I knew I shouldn't have said anything."

"Sorry. But honestly, what happened? What did he do that has you so freaked out?"

"He said we should meet up."

"Really?"

"Yes. He said, and I quote, 'Let's meet'."

"Well, what did you say?"

"I said … I didn't actually say anything at all. I just turned off the computer altogether."

Jo smacked her own forehead in horror. _"_ _Stephanie!"_

"I know. I know it was rude. He deserved an answer but-"

"But?"

"I have to find the right way to let him down."

"Wait, you're going to tell him you don't want to meet? Why? This guy is all you've been talking about for months." Jo looked genuinely perplexed.

"Jo, I can't meet up with some guy I met on the internet."

"Why not?" Jo challenged, crossing her arms over her engorged stomach.

"Why not? _Because,_ Jo. He could be serial killer for all I know. He could collect feet - like actual women's feet… The souls of his victims."

"You mean, _soles,"_ Jo joked. She tried to suppress a laugh but couldn't seem to stop it. Stephanie glared at her. "Sorry, but from all you've told me, this MusicK1 seems like a dream come true."

"So did Ted Bundy before he started whacking people."

"Steph…"

"I can't meet him. It just wouldn't work. It will complicate everything and my life is complicated enough already. He changed the rules and I am not thrilled about it."

"Life doesn't have one set of rules, Stephanie. You need to do what feels right to you and I know there's a part of you that would like to see this guy. I mean, he could be The One."

"Oh come on. He's a musician. Doctors and musicians … Isn't there some running joke about that?"

"Not that I've heard."

"We could never work in the real world."

"You don't know that," Jo said. "I think you should meet him. Give him a chance."

"Shouldn't you be trying to _dissuade_ me from meeting some random guy off of the internet? He could be a psychopath. I don't even know what he looks like."

"So ask him for a picture. And I don't think he's a psychopath. I have a good feeling about him."

"Oh yeah? You know, I miss when you used to be cynical. I think pregnancy hormones have made you soft. You didn't use to trust people so easily."

"I know but Alex, _knowing_ Alex, has helped me to see that there are actually some really good people in the world. He made me not be so afraid." Jo reached out and pulled Stephanie to a stop, placing her tiny hands on Stephanie's shoulders. "I want you to be happy too."

"You think I can't be happy without a man in my life?"

"Of course I don't think that. It's just you're such a great person - you would make someone very happy too. And MusicK1 …. I think he deserves a chance to prove himself. I mean, aren't you just the teensiest bit curious about what he's like off-line?"

"Of course I am, but I don't need the complication."

"This could be a really good complication though, Stephanie."

Stephanie groaned. "You're one of those people now, aren't you? Just because you're blissfully, nauseatingly happy in your relationship, you want everyone else to be too." Stephanie sighed, "We really don't know if MusicK1's The One."

"Well meet him and find out for yourself."

"Jo…"

"Come on. You could meet him in a very public place and just have coffee. One cup. If it's an awkward experience or he's a scary thug, you can always leave and block his messages. You will never have to see him again."

Stephanie ran a hand slowly down her cheek. "I can't believe this."

"What?"

"That I am actually considering this. I really had hoped you would talk me out of it. I should have known better, I guess."

"I really think this is a good thing."

"Ugh…"

"So are you going to meet up with him?"

Stephanie shrugged. "I don't know… _Maybe?"_

Xoxoxo

As soon as Stephanie got home from work, she tried to busy herself doing other tasks - taking out the trash, cleaning the stove, watching a _Scandal_ marathon on DVD. She tried everything she could think of to avoid thinking about MusicK1 and his offer. But her eyes continued to stray to her laptop. No matter what she did, she couldn't stop wondering what it would mean for her to actually meet him.

Around midnight, she turned into bed but just ended up tossing and turning the whole time.

Finally around two a.m., she got up and padded down the hall to the computer room. She couldn't resist the laptop's siren call any longer.

She turned on the laptop and made a few quick clicks. She typed in her password on messenger and signed in as DrSED.

She quickly clicked on MusicK1's username and started to type before she could change her mind.

 **DrSED:** Are you there?

She shifted anxiously as she waited an interminably long time for a reply. Just when she was sure that one wasn't coming, she saw the familiar icon read _MusicK1 is typing…_

 **MusicK1:** I am here.

 **DrSED:** Hey.

 **MusicK1:** Hey. Sorry if I creeped you out yesterday saying we should meet.

 **DrSED:** You didn't creep me out.

 **MusicK1:** Really?

 **DrSED:** Well you kind of freaked me out a little, yes. I wasn't expecting that.

 **MusicK1:** Let's forget it then.

 **DrSED:** No. We can't. Because

 **MusicK1:** Because?

 **DrSED:** Because I think I would like to meet up after all.

 **MusicK1:** Seriously?

Stephanie sighed again and quickly typed her response.

 **DrSED:** Yeah if the offer is still on the table.

 **MusicK1:** It is very much still on the table.

 **DrSED:** Okay then… Well when should we meet?

 ** _TO BE CONTINUED. I hope that turned out alright. Please drop me a comment._**


End file.
